The Importance of Building a Professional Reputation

Research & Sources / Corporate Professional Growth

Walk along a sandy beach and look back. Behind you is a trail of footprints. Each one is small. Together, they show clearly where you have been and how you walked: straight or zigzag, fast or slow. Your professional reputation is a trail of footprints. Every meeting, email and promise leaves one.

Reputation arrives before you do

In most organisations and industries, people hear about you before they meet you. A recruiter calls a former colleague. A new boss asks around. A client checks with someone who worked with you. Your reputation decides whether doors open or stay closed, often without you knowing it.

What reputation is made of

Reliability: you do what you say.

Competence: you are good at something specific.

Character: you are fair, honest and decent to work with.

Generosity: you help others and share credit.

Paul Zak’s research on trust in organisations found that trust strongly affects how people feel and perform at work: people in high-trust companies reported less stress, more energy and more engagement.¹ A reputation for trustworthiness is valuable for everyone around you, and so it is valuable for you.

Small footprints matter most

Reputations are rarely built by one big moment. They are built by many small ones: answering emails promptly, being prepared for meetings, keeping small promises, giving credit, staying calm under pressure. People notice patterns far more than single events.

And reputations can be damaged quickly. One broken promise or one unfair moment can undo many good footprints. That is not a reason for fear, but a reason for care.

Build it on purpose

• Choose what you want to be known for. One or two things, connected to your real strengths. Gallup found that people who use their strengths daily are six times more likely to be engaged.²
• Be consistent. The same standards in every room, with every person.
• Help others succeed. People remember who helped them.
• Repair mistakes openly. Admit, apologise, fix. Handled well, mistakes can even strengthen trust.
• Keep in touch. Relationships with former colleagues and clients carry your reputation forward.

Reputation and self-awareness

Your reputation is how others see you, which may differ from how you see yourself. Tasha Eurich’s research suggests most people overestimate their self-awareness.³ Asking trusted colleagues how you come across is one of the best ways to understand your real reputation.

What this means for you this week

• Write down the three words you would like people to use about you.
• Ask two colleagues which three words they would actually use.
• Keep every promise you make this week, however small.
• Help one person succeed without expecting anything back.

Every step leaves a footprint. Walk the way you want to be remembered.

Sources

1. Zak, P. J. (2017). The Neuroscience of Trust. Harvard Business Review. hbr.orgPeople at high-trust companies reported less stress, more energy, more engagement and less burnout.
2. Sorenson, S. How Employees’ Strengths Make Your Company Stronger. Gallup. gallup.comPeople who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged on the job.
3. Eurich, T. (2018). What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It). Harvard Business Review. hbr.orgAbout 95 percent of people think they are self-aware, an estimated 10 to 15 percent are; “what” questions help more than “why” questions.